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Rush Medical College Photos

Posted on January 9, 2013

With so much available online, it can be difficult to know whether the records you need to advance your research are available online and, if so, where they can be found. This is the first in a series of posts about some records and images you may not have discovered as yet. We’ll start with collections related to Chicago research.

Since researchers frequently ask about records regarding the occupations of their ancestors, our first selection is a digital collection of Rush Medical College Class Photos.

“Daniel Brainard, MD, a young New York native educated in Philadelphia, founded Rush not long after his arrival in the village of Chicago. The new college, like its city, gained its charter the first week of March 1837.” (History of Rush Medical College) It opened with 22 students on December 4, 1843 and the first permanent building was located at 77 North Dearborn. (Search ChicagoAncestors.org)

Rush Medical College Class Photos includes graduating classes from 1879 through 1920. For each graduating class, the collection contains one digital image of the entire class photograph, as well as several images containing portions of the larger photograph. These additional images allow the viewer to zoom in and focus on a particular individual more easily. In most cases, individuals are identified with their name printed under their picture or by a number which corresponds to a list of names.

Browse and search functions are available. Names are searchable, although generally only initials and surname are given. If you need assistance, be sure to check out the “Help” link.